courtney martin

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY Good morning! In the aftermath of Tuesday's narrow win and big defeat, Hillary Clinton spent yesterday assuring supporters and nay-sayers that she is still in the race. Is anyone listening? I've got those that aren't, disenfranchised nuns, and someone who's finally asked Clinton to say what her actual strategy to win is, after the jump. Join me! read more

I have a dirty little political secret. I hate to admit it, because it makes me feel unfeminist and silly and a little bit irrational. But it's true and I have to get it off my chest. I'm not backing Hillary Clinton—and that's at least in part because she reminds me of being scolded by my mother. Don't get me wrong—I love my mom. But sometimes, when she's feeling that all her hard work is unseen and unappreciated, she can be—as we all can—a little bitter. And I keep hearing that same quality in Hillary—a tired, burned out parent with a never-ending to-do list. I feel myself regressing to a teenage-era eye roll during the debates when she starts reminding us that the country's problems are intractable and require lots of strategic negotiation, compromise, and all-nighters. Thanks, mom. I know I should rise above the mom-effect. If Rush Limbaugh said that Hillary reminds me of a nagging mother, I'd hunt him down with my fiercest feminist slings and arrows. Rationally, I know it's wrong not to vote for Hillary because she brings out the rebellious teenager in me. I should be looking at her policies, not focusing on my feeeeelings. read more